Enigma of Love
by Bloodcellspixelate
Summary: Ed meets Elle and instantly feels the need to protect her even if it's against herself. Rated M for mature topics and eventually sexual content.
1. Prologue

_I have freedom from hate, but not from lies. I'm usually seen through clouded eyes. I come unexpected, though you wait for me all your life. I can't be brought yet some people try._

_What am i?_


	2. Chapter 1

**Author's note: this story will contain mentions of abuse, self harm, and suicide. Before each chapter, I will add a trigger warning if needed. **

**This chapters triggers are: **

**Abuse mention **

**And self harm implication**

—

Edward sighed and wiped the beads of sweat that gathered on his forehead with the back of his hand. The air around him was cold and dry, the snow on the ground made his surroundings look whimsical, almost as if none of this was real; but this was definitely real. Just below his black cordovan shoes, at about four feet under the soil, there lied a brown leather suitcase. Within that suitcase was the remains of the one person he had ever loved, the last person he'd ever think to harm,

Ms. Kringle.

He exhaled loudly. He hadn't meant to hurt her, and he especially didn't want to kill her. He was anything but a murderer, at least that's what he told himself. He had only killed Officer Dougherty to _protect _Kristen. After he saw the blue and purple marks on her skin and the way the man smirked as he said 'sometimes women need a firm hand.' he knew he had to save her from that monster, that _bastard_. If only she had seen it that way instead of acting so disturbed at Ed's confession, then they.. No, _he _wouldn't be in this appalling predicament.

He finally piled on the last layer of the wet soil and said a silent prayer and one last apology before he set his way back to his vehicle, shovel swung over his right shoulder. In the midst of the blanket of silent around him he heard a noise.

_Crunch. _

Ed jumped at the sudden noise then exhaled through his mouth with a chuckle. This is the forest, it was plausible that the source of the sudden noise was perhaps a rabbit or a deer. After the sudden disturbance, he began walking toward his objective one more. Then, he heard it again,

_Crunch_

This time it sounded much louder, as if whatever was causing the disruption decided to follow him. This time, the noise made him halt in place. The hair on the back of his neck stood erect as he felt something or someone watching him.

"Show yourself." He managed to speak, trying to sound resolute, but the words came out sounding more like a plea than a demand.

Elle froze as she heard the tall, slender man speak up. After contemplating if she should flee for a few seconds, she finally made her decision to emerge from the large white maple tree she was hiding behind. Slowly though, with her hands up beside either side of her head to make sure this strange man with a shovel saw her as no threat. The man watched her attentively as she stopped approximately seven or eight feet in front of him, wary of what might happen if she moved any closer. Ed studied her sternly, almost as if he were trying to determine something in his mind. Finally, he relaxed and his mouth twitched up into a smirk. Then he laughed.

The girl flinched at his sudden outburst as she felt the heat crawling up her face and into her ears. She wasn't sure how to comprehend his laughter.

Eventually he regained his composure and cleared his throat as he pushed his glasses up to keep them from plunging from his face and onto the ground.

"I'm must apologize, I wasn't expecting a _child_ to be out here in the center of the forest." He admitted.

Ellen felt her cheeks heat up again, but instead of embarrassment, a wave of indignation washed over her. She was mistaken for a child frequently and every time it happened she found herself becoming more frustrated.

"I'm not a child." She rolled her brown eyes.

Her dyed pale pink hair fell just past her shoulders in messy waves, her eyes were doe-like and lined heavily with black, her lips were plump and slightly chapped from the frigid temperature. Her five foot two inch frame brought attention to her petite size, which was currently dressed in a pair of black ripped skinny jeans, a loose fitting short sleeved pink and purple tie-dyed shirt and her feet were covered by worn black patent combat boots.

Ed drank in her appearance, finding her to be very attractive before realizing he was staring. He concluded that she was telling the truth about her age, but had yet to speak, instead he scratched the back of his neck and quickly looked down to avoid her gaze. His face was burning from the thought he just had, it was immoral of him to look at another woman in that way when he had literally just buried his dead girlfriend.

"I'm Ellen. But please call me Elle." The girl blurted out, breaking the silence. Ed broke his stare from the soft white snow by his toes and looked at her.

"I'm Edward. Edward Nygma." He smiled as he offered his hand out for a handshake.

Elle took his much larger hand into hers and bounced it a few times, noting that his hands were covered by black leather gloves. She offered him a friendly smile to which he returned.

She was caught off guard when he had asked her to accompany him back to his car without as much as asking why she was in the forest alone on a Saturday morning. She hadn't asked him, so she figured he was just returning the favor. He seemed kind enough to trust. And besides, she had nowhere else to go, no place to call home and definitely nobody to talk to.

Ed thought carefully about how he was going to handle this situation. 'I'm not a murderer.' He assured himself mentally. He didn't want to kill this woman. Even though he had just met her, he was quite fond of her already. He didn't want her to think he was _menacing _or _weird _as Ms. Kringle described him, but he really felt the need to watch over this stranger. She was beautiful, that much was painfully obvious. But when he glanced at her as she discussed something unimportant, making conversation, he managed to ignore her words when he saw her wrists. It was hard not to stare at her, at least he wasn't actively trying to stare at her, but when she talked, she moved her hands dramatically in front of her as she explained parts of whatever it was that she was ranting on about and he found it oddly amusing.

The scars along her soft skin were white, and slightly raised indicating that the lacerations were once deep cuts. He clenched his jaw in anger just thinking about whoever made her feel like she had to do this to herself.

"I'm so sorry I have to do this." He grimaced and raised his shovel. Before Elle even had the chance to respond, he hit her in the back of the head, knocking her unconscious immediately.

He gathered her small body into his long arms and carried her to the trunk of his car. As much as he wanted to lay her in the back seat instead of in the dark cold of his trunk, he knew if anyone were to peak into the windows, they would be alarmed. He could've just asked her to come with him, but he felt as if a beautiful girl like her would decline. She really was beautiful, he couldn't deny that, and because of that, he had to protect her.

Even if it was from herself.


	3. Chapter 2

Elle opened her eyes and winced at the pain emitting from the back of her head. She blinked a few times to clear the cloudiness that currently occupied her vision. Once she obtained her sense of sight again, her mind was overcome with confusion. She had no recognition of where she was, or how she managed to wake up in an unfamiliar bed. The room around her was dark, aside from a green glow peaking through two large windows.

She'd managed to hoist herself up, her legs dangled over the edge of the bed for a few seconds before she attempted to stand. Her feet planted themselves firmly on the floor and she stood up.

To her surprise, her legs buckled beneath her and sent her body plunging forward. She prepared herself for the fall and the harsh impact that was sure to follow by shutting her eyes tightly. She braced the inevitable, but there was no clash nor pain, instead she felt two large warm hands wrap around her waist catching her petite frame before it could make contact with the floor. She let out a relieved sigh before leaning her back against their chest, relaxing into their grasp.

Ed's heart raced when he felt the warmth of her body radiating onto him. Elle should be more wary instead of leaning her entire body against someone she doesn't know. Especially with her back turned towards him.

He knew _he _wasn't going to harm her, but he couldn't help to think that what if wasn't him, would she still be this reckless?

He furrowed his brows at her actions, now he finally understood how she could easily be hurt. Physically, and psychologically.

She was vulnerable.

Her illogical thinking could've also been caused by a slight concussion from the blow of his shovel. He was hoping it was the latter of the two.

"Where am I?" She finally asked as she slipped out of his grip in alarm. The reality of the situation had finally sunk in and she sat on the mattress, acknowledging that her strength was drained from her body.

Ed switched on the lamp that sat proudly on the small night stand, the light was surprisingly bright and he and Elle's eyes had to adjust to the sudden change. Once he was certain that she could see him, he spoke.

"I can be either big or small, anywhere in the world- near or far, can stay the same or change over time, Can be different for everyone, but everyone has me," he stood just a few feet in front of Elle and clasped his hands together excitedly.

"What am I?"

Elle gave him a puzzled look before resigning against the sudden query. After a few moments of silence, she sighed and answered,

"I don't know." She shrugged.

Ed's expression dipped into disappointment and he rolled his eyes. He was annoyed. 'Why does nobody ever get these correct?' He thought briefly before he spoke again,

"No. The answer is home." He offered up a smile to the pink haired woman.

Elle thought she was confused before, but now she was baffled. Her mind immediately started racing with an ambulance of possibilities. Surely he didn't mean that this was now _her _home as well. He had only known her for a few hours, and for the majority of that time, she was unconscious.

Ed cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably at the expression on her face. He knew what he was saying was preposterous, but he wanted her to stay, he _needed _her to stay.

"W-what do you mean home?!" Elle stumbled over the words.

"I want you to stay here," Ed replied. He sat on the bed to the left of Elle. Their thighs touched, and her eyes met his.

She averted her gaze to a loose string on her jeans and started to play with the it, pulling and twisting it between her fingers anxiously. Logically, she should get up and sprint away as quickly as she could, but she had nowhere to go. No place to call _home_. Besides, something inside of her was urging her to stay.

"What if I refuse?" She broke out of her thoughts thinking perhaps he was just pulling her leg, waiting for the moment he would break out of his nice guy exterior to reveal a murderous psychopath.

She studied his perfectly chiseled face, noting that he looked quite older than her. If she had to guess his age, she'd say about eight to twelve years older than her youthful twenty years. His dark eyes shown no indication that he was cruel, there was _no _way he'd kill her. She'd bet that he wouldn't even harm a fly.

He was exceedingly handsome, almost as if he were a piece of art that walked out of a museum.

"Oh Ellie, _darling_, I won't take no for an answer." He stated bluntly. He didn't mean to sound so cruel and demanding, but he couldn't let her leave. He couldn't stand the thought of seeing her lying on the medical examiner's table, lifeless and fading from this world.

Elle's heart leapt in her chest and she felt her lips curl up into a smile. She didn't understand why she was drawn to him, but she didn't even _want _to leave.

"Alright, Mr. Nygma, I'll stay."

"And by the way, don't call me Ellie. I always hated being called that." She added while she reclined herself until her back was against the mattress. She let out a long relaxed sigh.

Ed watched as she closed her eyes, looking completely at ease. He let out a yawn and decided to lie down next to her.

"I'm not too fond of being called Mr. Nygma, _by the way." _He mimicked the last three words with a toothy smile.

Elle giggled, reassuring Ed that she found his words comical and took no offense. Her giggles turned into full on laughter after her nose let out an accidental snort. Ed's silent chuckle then exploded into laughter as well.

_Growwl_

Suddenly her stomach let out a a loud rumble, interrupting their horseplay to indicate her hunger.

Ed beamed at the opportunity to cook. He loved cooking because it reminded him that even the strangest combinations can come together to create something incredible. He lifted himself from the bed and padded his way toward the kitchen.

"Does pasta puttanesca sound okay?" He called out with his head hidden in the fridge as he dug ingredients out. When he received no reply, he turned around swiftly only to be started by Elle. She was standing right in front on him, so close that if he were to have been any further forward, he would've tumbled over her.

"Oh my," Ed muttered as he bent down to pick the items he dropped.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." Elle's words trailed off and she decided to bend her own body down to help. As she leaned her body forward, Ed was already rising, causing the back of his head to collide with her chin, making her bite her lip.

"Ah, fuck!" They both cried out in unison. Elle held her hand to her mouth, trying to cease the scarlet liquid dripping from her now throbbing lip. Ed held his own hand on the back of his head, feeling for the bump he was sure formed from the impact. Then he turned his gaze toward Elle.

Ed's eyes widened at the sight of the blood dripping from her chin onto the tiled floor, her cheeks now tear stained from the ache of her swollen lip. He felt immense guilt as she whined in pain. He took by the wrist and quickly ushered her into the bathroom, reassuring her that she'd be alright repeatedly. He sat her on the edge of the bathtub and wet a clean rag with water.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered.

He took Elle's hand away from her face with his left and held it lightly, rubbing soothing circles on her knuckles. His right hand worked on wiping the blood from her lips and chin.

"I was actually in the kitchen to ask where the bathroom is." She let out an airy chuckle.

Ed's guilt about harming her, even if by accident, was starting to fade after seeing her kind eyes looking at him.

"Well, you've found it," He replied as he set the now red stained rag into the sink.

"Let's just order out." His hold on her hand hardened as he gently tugged her upright until she was standing.

Without thinking, her grip loosened from his much larger hand until their hands were no longer connected. Then hugged him, her face pressed against his chest and she listened to the pitter patter of his heart as it ran at a quicker pace than a usual resting heart, just the same as hers.

"Take out sounds great." She smiled releasing herself from him, then making her way to the couch.

Ed was stunned as he watched her walk away from him.

—

**Omg guys, this chapter took so long to write and I'm not even sure if it's even that good! Please give feedback, I want to know what you guys think. **

**Have a great day/night!**


	4. Chapter 3

**This chapter contains self harm and abuse mentions. **

—

Elle closed her eyes and let the droplets cascade over her, washing away the stresses of the eventful day. She let out an audible sigh of relief as the heat unraveled the coils in her muscles. She hadn't had the opportunity to bathe recently. She could wash up in public restrooms and sneak into gym locker rooms to shower, but neither of the options were favorable. It had only been four days since her last shower, but those four days felt like an eternity.

_The sound of glass breaking echoed throughout the house, causing Elle to jolt out of her slumber. She didn't give her eyes time to adjust before she sprung to her feet and raced out of her room and down the staircase._

_The darkness made the usually warm and inviting interior look eerie. Her ears focused on the sound of wind as it whistled into the silence. She scanned the windows in the living room, finding each one still intact, then padded her way into the kitchen. Her footsteps echoed behind her, giving the illusion that someone was following her. She turned her head over her shoulders multiple times to assure herself that nobody was behind her. _

_Her toes had barely crossed the threshold before her stomach dropped at the sight before her. _

_Blood. So much blood._

_Her father was the first body she discovered. A perfect line across his neck, blood still oozing from the laceration. Her mother a few feet apart, her sandy brown hair stained red. The crimson puddle around her glistened in the pale glow of the moonlight. She had been stabbed, probably trying to defend her husband. _

_But no tears formed in Elle's eyes._

_She was the one thing that wasn't perfect about Ethan and Raina Young's life. And for that, she was relieved that they would no longer be part of her life. _

_She was only ten when they took her into their household, but they had no intention of ever loving her. She was to only show her face at events to prove to the public how _considerate _the Youngs were. _

_But they were not considerate at all. The abuse never ended from the day they adopted her. _

_But now, they were gone. _

_She couldn't stay here, no. She had to leave. The first person that they would frame was sure to be her. There was glass scattered across the hardwood floor indicating an intruder, and the door that led to the patio was broke. That still didn't declare her innocence. The police were lazy, never going to really look into the case. Besides, they're not too fond of her much anyway._

_She had overheard from a guest at one of the recent events, a house party (which she was forced to attend) about a city just past the large forest. Apparently it was said to be corrupt?rumors about twisted cops and deranged mobsters had flooded through the man's mouth. _

_She huffed._

_Anywhere is better than here, right?_

_What was that city called again? _

_The name crawled it's way into her mind,_

"_Gotham." She stated aloud._

Her hands made their way to her face as she attempted to wipe away the remnants of the small amount of makeup that lingered on her face. After, she reached for the body wash that Ed had set out for her to use. She scanned the bottle briefly, looking at the label. Cherry blossom. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't curious as to why he had a set of women's toiletries at the ready.

He was a handsome man, he probably brought women home often. The thought caused her stomach to clench and she felt the familiar sense of jealousy sprouting within her.

'Ellen Nicole, you have _no _right to be jealous.' She mentally scowled herself.

Ed's eyes flickered between the clock and the cup of tea sitting in front of him. The scent of peppermint swirled around him. The nerves had finally reached their peak and he was on the brink of a panic attack. He drummed his fingers against the table and bit the inside of his cheek. He knew he wanted her here, but now that she'd agreed to stay, he wasn't sure how pursue the situation. She made him nervous.

Behind him, the bathroom door unlocked with a click before being opened. Emerging from the steam, was Elle. She stood stiffly in the doorway, her hands wrapped around her body as she held the grey towel in place. Careful to not expose herself.

"I uh.." She bit her bottom lip. "I only have the clothes I was wearing, and those are too dirty to put back on." She motioned to the pile of cloth on the damp ground.

Ed could feel the blood rushing into his face, causing his cheeks to turn crimson against his usually pale skin. His glasses fogged with precipitation as he approached her. He stopped midway, opened a drawer and started to thumb through the contents before eventually producing an olive green sweater, holding it up to check for any holes. Once he was satisfied with the lack of rips, he closed the distance between them.

"I'm sorry I don't have anything proper for you to wear. I'll take you out shopping tomorrow." He placed the sweater into Elle's hand and offered her a close lipped smile.

Ed watched her return into the bathroom, only relaxing once he heard the click of the lock behind her. His hands immediately crawled into his hair and he yanked the locks in frustration. He was so _stupid. _How could he possibly strut into public with a woman at his side that wasn't Ms. Kringle. Not many people knew of their relationship, but he had boasted about them down at the GCPD.

"_Hello Edward. Miss me?" _The voice came his right.

He padded his way to the mirror and looked straight into it, his dark eyes focused on his reflection. For a moment all he could see was his own annoyed expression painted onto his face. Then, his reflection smiled. A sinister smile.

"Go away." He growled.

"_I _can't. _Don't you get it? We are one and the same." _

"No. We most definitely are not. You made me kill her. _You _sent me on a scavenger hunt to even find her body." He spat as quietly as he could, as to make sure Elle hadn't heard him.

"_Really? I'm just a figment of your imagination. I'm in your mind." _His reflection tapped his fingers against his temple, indicating he was pointing to his brain.

"_I _am _you." _He snapped his fingers before he disappeared, leaving Ed starring at his horrified face.

Elle emerged from the bathroom once more. This time, her damp hair was pulled into a pony tail, her face bare and her body engulfed under the much larger sweater. The green complimented her large brown eyes which were staring at Ed. He was glaring into the mirror, glasses clutched in his hands in frustration. She raised her eyebrows at the sight.

"You okay?"

Her voice tugged him out of his own trance. He straightened out, smoothing down his hair with his hand as the other found its way to his face. He situated the frames back on his nose, and smiled.

He intended to speak but he found himself completely captivated by her. She was beautiful no matter what she was wearing. Her face now clean from any makeup gave her a youthful glow. Instead, he found himself studying the skin that had previously been hidden under the fabric of her jeans.

His eyes caught glimpse of the white and pink scars that littered her thighs, similar to the ones on her wrist. Except some of these were still scabbed over, indicating they've recently made their way into her skin. His lips pulled into a frown. He wished he'd known her sooner, he wished he could've helped her. He knew it was absurd, she was quite younger than him.

"Please don't stare. I know what you're thinking. I know it's dumb of me to do this to myself, I've heard all the lectures before. Just, please..." she trailed off, "I don't want to talk about it." She finished.

Ed nodded, he didn't want to push the situation. He figured if she wanted to discuss it at a later date, he would listen attentively. He wanted to know her story. He wanted to know her. No matter how long it may take for her to open up.

He adverted his gaze back to her face.

Her eyes sparkled as tears formed. She padded her way to the bed and sat, pulling her legs up to her chest. Then,

She cried.

After days of detaining her emotions, her composure fell. The pent up emotions flooded out. Fear, anger, resentment all flooded out through her eyes and trailed down her cheeks.

Ed felt his chest tighten as her quiet sobs increased in volume. He didn't want her to cry, but he was thankful that she was. It pained him, but he knew this was better than her making another mark into her beautiful skin.

He sighed, discarding his own feelings aside. He collected her small body carefully into his arms and laid her across his lap. She was too distraught to protest against the sudden movement and decided to bury her face into his chest, muffling her sobs. She was wetting his white button up shirt with her salty tears, but he couldn't care less. He rubbed her back soothingly

"I'm here now. I won't let anything bad happen to you." He whispered.

Elle shuffled slightly, giving her access to look at his face. Her eyes met his and for the first time in her life, she felt safe. Her tears halted as he cupped the right side of her face. He tenderly rubbed away her tears with his thumb. His hand was warm and a bit rough she noticed as she nuzzled into his grip.

"You promise?" She asked, the pitch of her voice raised slightly, making her sound small and needy.

"I promise." He replied.

'_Because I think I love you.' _He thought as his lips touched her forehead, leaving a kiss.


	5. Chapter 4

Ed's eyes opened slowly, carefully adjusting to the light that now engulfed the room. He paused for a moment, unsure of when he fell asleep and frantically searched for Elle. His memory came flooding back all at once, about how Elle had cried into his chest, soaking through his shirt and how her warm tears felt as though they had seeped through his skin and right into his heart. And how it stung. It hurt him to see her like that, broken and vulnerable. But if anything came of the night, he was sure that he loved her. Of course he'd never say it to her, he had known her for only a few days and she probably would think he's a creep due to their age difference. She probably just saw him as nothing more than an older brother figure. Ed let out a hurtful sigh and reached to his left and felt around the cold wooden nightstand until he felt his glasses. He slipped them on, and his vision was now clear of the previous cloudiness that overtook his eyes.

Elle slept peacefully, right next to him, her hair, faded to almost a strawberry blond was now sprawled over half of her face. Ed smiled and gently brushed the hair from her face. She made somewhat of a groan, and Ed held his breath, careful to not move an inch so she'd stay asleep. When he was sure she wasn't going to wake up, rolled onto his right side, propping his head up by his arm and looked at her. He thought about how her nose had small, faint freckles littered over it, and how they reminded him of stars, each one different and somehow added to her natural beauty. Her roots of her hair had grown out about half an inch, and he noticed that under that processed dye, her hair would be naturally brown with a tint of red. Her lips looked so soft and pink, he could imagine them against his, and his stomach flipped at the thought. She was unbelievably beautiful, too beautiful for him. She was an angel on earth, and he was a monster who had accidentally hurt (killed) his last love.. But no- that wasn't his fault, he just wanted to save her. _Save her_. The words echoed in his head and he cringed, because that need to save Elle was stronger than anything. His thoughts came to a halt-

_**"**Hey, remember me?"_ The voice pulled his attention to the right corner of the room. Standing there was

"Kristen?!" Ed whispered out, careful not to be too loud and wake the beauty next to him. He couldn't believe his eyes and lifted his glasses, resting them on his forehead before rubbing his eyes so hard that he saw stars dancing in the blackness.

_"Put your glasses on, Ed. I'm really here."_ She spoke, amusement in her voice.

Ed slipped his glasses back in place and looked over to her.. It. He wasn't exactly sure what he was looking at but he knew one thing for sure; that thing isn't Ms. Kringle. Ms. Kringle was beautiful, with her ivory skin and bright fiery red hair, thick and wavy. But this thing in front of him had paper thin grey skin with green and blue veins stretched thinly across a boney facial structure. The little bit of hair left was a light orange and caked by brown mud. But the one thing that made him believe it actually was her, was the blue and purple marks around her neck. Strangulation.

_"See you found another victim, you psycho."_ The monster spoke, her glazed over eyes locked on the sleeping girl.

"No!" Ed hissed, shaking in fear and anger. He could never hurt Elle. Even if he said the same thing about Kristen, and he saw where that went. But Elle wasn't like that at all, Elle didn't think Ed was a freak or that he was capable of killing someone, just as he had done, not once but twice before. Elle would never suspect that of him, and she never had to know, and she never would. He'd tuck that part of him deep inside, lock it up with a key and he'd die before he'd ever hurt Elle.

_"You killed me, remember. You choked me out and you killed me!"_ Ms. Kringle retorted angrily, her eyes now locked on his as if she were seeing right into the lowest part of his soul. Ed could no longer look at this version of his first love, his eyes shifted to the floor and he sighed in defeat, not knowing how to respond. A second voice spoke now, this voice seemed to be his own.

_"What is easy to get into, but hard to get out of?"_ The new voice asked and Ed automatically tensed up.

_"Trouble."_ He replied coldly, his eyes now glaring at.. Well, at himself.

_"Exactly. And that is what you're going to be in when you get caught for not killing one, or two, but THREE people."_ The riddler let out a loud cackling laugh.

"I'm not going to hurt her!" Ed snapped.

"**We** _will. Give it time."_ With a snap, the other version of himself and the ghost of Ms. Kringle disappeared.

Ed glared coldly at the now empty corner, furious with himself and quite honestly, a bit scared too.

Elle opened her eyes, and her eyes automatically searched for Ed. As soon as they found their target, she smiled warmly. His strong frame was outlined by the glow of the morning light, his brown hair But curiosity and worry soon washed away her smile when she noticed how still he was, his back to her. He seemed to be breathing heavily and ragged. He was angry at something, but there was nothing visible where his cold glare was locked.

"Good morning." She heard her voice say, not realizing she was speaking.

Ed jumped out of the trace he seemed to be under and turned to her. His menacing glare and cold eyes automatically turned warm, his smile soft and sincere as he looked at her. The sunlight surrounded him, making him look as though he were glowing, a halo of light if you will. The word halo seemed so fitting to her because as she stared at him, she realized she couldn't in a million years have imagined someone close to his perfection. Despite the smile lines and small wrinkles by his eyes, no doubt from years of smiling and laughing- probably at his own riddles, he had a youth about him in his eyes. Those brown orbs swallowed her in and she felt like she was being pulled toward him like a magnet. Closer and closer until she could feel his warm breath against hers.

Ed looked into Elle's eyes and saw her youth, her eyes so clear and full of wonder like a doe seeing the world for the first time. And Damnit, she was so perfect. He closed his eyes and placed his right hand softly on her face, gently pulling her closer. His lips finally met with hers and the flipping in his stomach was so intense that he almost winced, but her soft pink lips brought him back down to earth. Earth. Unbelievably, this wasn't heaven and he wasn't dreaming, this was real and the need for her closeness became overwhelming. He wrapped his left hand around the back of her head, pulling her body as close to his as was physically possible.

"Ed," she whispered, pulling back from the deep kiss. Her index finger now rested on his bottom lip and he looked into her eyes and swear he could see his whole future in those beautiful brown orbs.

"Yes?" He spoke, lightly as if any word he said could burst this moment away and he'd wake up. Alone and cold, with Ms. Kringle's dead body slumped against the wall.

There was a long pause before Elle could find her voice to whisper the next words out of her throat.

"I think I love you, and I know it sounds crazy and possibly you may think I'm crazy for feeling this way about a man I just met.. But Mr. Nygma.. I really mean it."

Ed's breath caught in his lungs and he thought he might've died right then and there, but those words also breathed light into him. He felt his insides heat up, and his heartrate quickened. He couldn't believe this was happening, he thought he had loved Kristen Kringle but Elle made him rethink the definition of "love". Elle looked at him, sucking in her bottom lip and clamping her teeth over the soft pink flesh. She was beyond anxious and he could tell and before he had time to even think of the words he wanted to say, his voice was now flooding the silence.

"No, I don't think your crazy," Because I am he thought to himself. "if you're crazy then I must be insane because I don't think I love you.." He paused and Elle could already feel the heat flood into her cheeks and the prickling feeling of tears forming in her eyes. "Oh..." Her voice came out small and ragged as she fought to hold back the tears that now clouded her vision. She stood and turned her back to him, bracing herself for his rejection and possibly him telling her she should leave. He may have kissed her back, but maybe he only did it to be polite. She felt his warm hand on her shoulder as he gently turned her to face his now standing figure. He was wearing a smile and she wanted to cry more than anything. He was amused. She tore her eyes from his face, his beautiful face and looked at the wooden floor at her feet. His fingers were now on her chin, forcing her to face the eyes she wanted to avoid the most.

"I don't think I love you. Because I know I do. You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen and your smile warms my heart and every time you look at me with your doe like eyes, I want nothing more than to kiss you." Ed's finger wiped away her tear that had slipped unwillingly out of her eye. His lips were on hers and she melted into his arms. She pulled back only slightly, still feeling the tingling sensation his lips left on hers.

"I love you." He repeated.

**Hey guys, sorry for the disappearance, and sorry if this chapter is bad or if I swayed too far from his character. I really tried though. **

**\- Skye**


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